It's Raining, It's Pouring

Log Info

• Title: It's Raining, It's Pouring

• Emitter: Ravenstongue

• Characters: Ravenstongue, Telamon

• Place: Ravenstongue and Telamon's house

• Summary: Pothy is left at home while Ravenstongue goes to the market. Telamon has to play babysitter, which is a chore in of itself, and has to keep the familiar entertained and fed. This proves to be somewhat difficult, with Pothy flying up to the cupboards in the kitchen... Which leads to a remarkable discovery. Pothy has a tiny jewelry stash, and while most of it is junk, there's a very special ring that belonged to Nadina's mother, given to her by a former paramour. The ring is collected and Telamon resolves to investigate with with Ravenstongue another game.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Dramatis Personae =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-    
Ravenstongue         5'0"     99 Lb      Half-Elf          Female    Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair.                       
Telamon              5'6"     140 Lb     Half-Elf          Male      A platinum-blond half-sil man with dancing dark eyes
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Lúpecyll-Atlon home, afternoon.

"It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring..."

So Pothy sings, mimicking a schoolgirl singing as he looks forlornly out the kitchen window, rain hitting the glass pane as the dark grey clouds overhead match his mood. He's been left at home... All alone... All on his lonesome... Nobody to take care of him... Abandoned.

Except that's not true. In fact, he's been left here with Telamon, as Grandfather's working a shift at the bookstore and Cor'lana has merely stepped out to run an errand. "I'll be back in an hour," she had said to Telamon before giving him a kiss and stepping out the door.

That, of course, doesn't stop Pothy from engaging in his inner diva. He even throws his head back and sighs dramatically.

"You, Pothy, are a ham. A huge, salty ham."

That's Telamon's verdict, as he glances at the bird. "Really, Pothy. You have a bowl full of mixed nuts, a warm, dry place to sleep, and if you want to talk, I'm happy to chat -- even though we have trouble understanding each other sometimes." He closes his copy of 'Traveling By Night', setting it aside.

"So really, what's bothering you? Come on over, let's hear it. I'm hardly going to give you grief if there's something weighing on your heart."

Pothy turns his blue eyes to Telamon--those strange bird eyes that, normally, only covet snacks. In this instance, however, they are filled with a deep and terrible longing... An unmistakable and deep sadness. Perhaps even grief. Something has happened that Pothy may never recover from so long as he lives.

"Cor'lana," he says, mimicking Telamon's voice.

How cruel! Of course the stalwart and dedicated familiar would miss his beloved mistress! After all, Cor'lana grew up with the bird. They were surely best friends for life--

"Snacks," Pothy then elaborates, mimicking Telamon's voice again. "Cor'lana will bring home snacks for you, Pothy."

...Oh. He just was missing the snacks that Cor'lana brings home from the market.

Telamon just regards Pothy with a patient expression. "Yes, I'm sure she will. But you have to have patience, Pothy. For an immortal familiar, you are remarkably impatient." He settles back a bit on the couch, regarding Pothy with his own inscrutable expression. It's not bad. It would probably be more effective if Pothy hadn't seen him practicing it in the mirror a few days ago.

"Were any of your prior inheritors cooks, Pothy? I have to wonder if at some point you became a touch spoiled because someone insisted on you taste-testing everything he or she cooked." He rubs his chin, smiling in spite of himself. "Although... let's not try taste-testing anything our garden pixies give out, hm? I didn't know Grandfather's eye could twitch like that."

Pothy lingers at the kitchen window for a moment longer--to give one more longing look out, presumably--before he flies over to the couch, where he... Oh. He's chosen to sit in Telamon's lap. At least he's warm and fluffy.

Actually, he does more than sitting. Pothy cuddles up to Telamon's torso, in a manner that he occasionally does with Cor'lana and even Grandfather from time to time. It's a bit like a little kid insisting on hanging out in the lap while dad reads a book. Pothy looks up at Telamon and repeats, "I am going to tear the wings off those two if they try that again," in Grandfather's voice--reproducing the Sylvan words that had been said the night before with surprising accuracy.

Then Pothy tilts his head. "Pothy, try eating some of this," he says, in Nadina's voice.

Apparently, Cor'lana's mother was to blame--at least partially--for Pothy's food fixation.

Telamon is unfazed by having a lapful of Pothy, and begins petting the bird gently, soothing him. "I can't imagine it was much fun, any more than when it happened to Cor'lana." He shakes his head. "I also don't blame him in the slightest. Once can be dismissed as an accident -- but they really should have known better after the first time."

He smirks at Nadina's voice. "Oh, so you're blaming Nadina now? Classy, Pothy. Blame someone who can't argue in her own defense." He lightly rubs the top and back of Pothy's head. "Have you ever gotten sick from something?"

Pothy puffs all of his feathers up! Which is supposed to make him look more fearsome, especially as he's offended by the accusation, but it only serves to make him even fluffier and softer. How can you take an angry raven who now has more of the fluff of a white chicken seriously?

But then he pauses to consider the question, and now he comes up with a deep man's voice... speaking in... Celestial? "Apotheosis, you should not have consumed that potion! That contains a deadly poison! I do not care how sweet it smelled; do not eat strange liquids!"

Then Pothy makes the sound of coughing and wheezing--and he actually tumbles off Telamon's lap and rolls around on the couch, to apparently pantomime what happened next, before returning to the fleshy cushion. (Not that there's much, as Telamon is a slim man, but enough to matter to Pothy, apparently.)

Telamon's eyebrows shoot up, though he can't restrain a slight grin at the theatrics. "Clearly the lesson didn't take if you accepted a shot-glass from the pixies." Still, he lets Pothy clamber back into his lap, petting some more. "Interesting, though. That one was in what the Watcher called the voice of creation."

He considers for a little bit, before asking. "So I guess you survived, obviously. Never consume strange liquids." He rolls his eyes. "I went by the Soldier's Defense and they were dosing some poor fool with antitoxins till they could get a priest over. Evidently he had found a potion, declared, 'Only one way to find out what it does!' -- and drank the whole thing."

Pothy imitates the deep-voiced man again, but this time, speaking tradespeak. "I am Davios Branfeax, and you'd do well to respect my name," he says.

There's another name to research, perhaps, on another inward-dreaming walk. But then Pothy decides he's bored of this discussion of ancestors, and he flies back to the kitchen, where he proceeds to fidget with the lid to one of the snack containers. Pothy will not be kept from his prize...!

POP. Lid comes off, but then there's a thud as the container lands on its side. Avalanche incoming!

Telamon huhs. "Davios Branfeax, hm? Interesting. Maybe Nadina's grandfather or father?" When Pothy flies off his lap back to the kitchen, he groans. "Pothy, you have a perfectly good bowl of nuts right here. What the..."

Then, of course, the pop and the thud. "Oh for... sisig bursag!" Tel says, gesturing, calling an unseen servant into creation. "Gather up the snacks and put them back in the jar," he instructs the servitor, as he strides over to collect Pothy. "Cripes, Pothy, you could just ask..."

GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20: (9): 9
GAME: Telamon rolls sense motive+3: (17)+12+3: 32

Pothy sees Telamon approaching him and his blue eyes go wide. Danger! Danger! Danger, Apotheosis! "You'll never take me alive!" he crows, imitating a brazen man, and he flies...

Into the narrow crook between the cupboards and the ceiling. Somehow, Pothy fits up there neatly, and it's a standoff now between him and the half-elf man. Meanwhile, his stash of snacks--little candy gumdrops, in this case--is being cleaned up by an unseen servant. And he didn't even get a gumdrop in the process!

How will Pothy get out of this one? He looks around nervously before an idea comes to him. "Telamon, I'm home!" he says, mimicking Cor'lana.

It's... not exactly convincing, considering Telamon's right there and sees him doing it.

Telamon rests his hands on his hips, staring back at Pothy. "C'mon, Pothy, you know you're supposed to ask first. Lana gets all grouchy if the kitchen gets messed up." The gumdrops are all being put back in the jar steadily, while the standoff continues.

The bluff might have worked if Tel wasn't standing right there eyeing Pothy. As is, he sees Pothy's beak move, and he just shakes his head. "Nice try, Pothy. Now come down from there. That's not a nesting space for you..." He pauses, then a sly twinkle appears in his eyes. "Or is it? Do you have a little friend up there, Pothy?"

Pothy looks put-out that his bluff didn't work... and then the question is asked. Does Pothy have a little friend? Can a raven sweat bullets?

Look to the left. Look to the right. Then Pothy makes a little sigh... And he picks up something from the cupboard.

It's... a ring? Oh. No. Actually, two of them--no, three. And a small bracelet. It appears Pothy keeps a shiny stash up above the cupboards.

Question is, where did the shinies come from?

Telamon looks amused, pleased with himself at having gotten one under Pothy's skin (feathers?). That amusement lasts until Pothy... produces a ring. He blinks slowly, eyes widening a touch.

He reaches up to rub the bridge of his nose. "Pothy," he says in that long-suffering tone. "Tell me you haven't been stealing from the neighbors."

The gumdrops are all collected and back in the jar now, and Tel gestures for the servant to close the jar and put it back. "Go get the stepladder," he tells it wearily. The top of the shelf simply isn't reachable by him -- even as tall as he is he's too short.

Pothy emphatically shakes his head, denying the accusation as he sets the jewelry back down on the top of the shelf. "Left!" he says, mimicking Cor'lana again. "At the market."

Then he pauses and mimics Cor'lana saying, "Ok Pothy, let me get a snack for you from the stall." It's easy enough to put two and two together--apparently, when Cor'lana's distracted ordering for Pothy at the market, sometimes he finds things left behind and keeps them. "Not a thief," he concludes, imitating a young boy. The defense rests its case.

The servant returns with the stepladder -- a folding gnomish design that is surprisingly robust. Telamon sets it up against the cupboard, and climbs up it to look over the top, keeping his hands in view. No point in provoking Pothy.

"Pothy, mind if I take a look at one up close? I'll give it back for the moment, but... people don't usually leave rings and bracelets behind. Not unless they're really stupid." He pauses. "Which I will admit can be the case."

Pothy flaps back down to the kitchen counter, allowing Telamon to take a gander at the jewelry. In total, there are three rings and one bracelet.

Two rings and the bracelet are all made out of silver, somewhat cheaply and roughly made. The bracelet even has a little plate with a heart symbol etched into the metal. These were probably purchased by young lovers, and then abandoned after a breakup in the fashion that only emotional teenagers can have--presumably because they didn't want to walk to a shoreline and throw the ring into the water like one particularly popular drama at the Theatre District.

However, there is one ring that has the glint of fine white gold, albeit not cleaned or maintained. There's an inscription inside of the band: 'To Nadina--one day I hope you'll return my flame. Luthel"

It appears one of these is not a marketplace find...

Telamon sorts through the stash (which, to be honest, isn't much of a stash). The silver rings and bracelet, he 'tsks' over, but leaves for Pothy. But the other ring... he picks it up, studying it. Catching sight of the inscription, his eyes widen again slightly. That one, he holds onto as he descends.

Deliberately, he pops the top off the gumdrop jar, pouring out a few for Pothy. Once that's done, he asks Pothy, "Nadina mentioned she had adventuring partners, friends. Was Luthel one of them?" He hefts the gold ring in his hand, before fishing a handkerchief out to try and clean it a bit. He can't stand the idea of something like this being so dusty and dirty.

Pothy looks... almost a little sad at the mention of Luthel. His talons tap-tap on the counter for a moment as he seems to be figuring out what to say from his bank of remembered words, stolen from others' mouths. "Luthel, I'm sorry--I like you, and I like the fun we have together, but I don't want to belong to anyone, because I can't ask people to be only mine. It wouldn't be fair," Pothy says, imitating Nadina's voice again.

He pauses for a moment, before he imitates a passionate man speaking in Sildanyari: "I understand, Nadina. I... I wish it could be different. I could be the father your child needs. But... I'll settle for knowing you're alright. Farewell, my love. Always and forever."

This just raises more questions than it does answers. Nadina did mention that there was one person who knew where she lived with Cor'lana--one of her old adventuring partners--who could have taken Cor'lana if something ever happened to her...

Telamon reaches out to pet Pothy again, stroking his feathers. "The past is always with us," he says with a gentle smile. He hefts the ring in his hand, cleaner now, studying it. "Luthel. That sounds like a sil name... gods only know where he might be." He looks at Pothy, thoughtfully. "I need to ask Cor'lana about this before we make any hasty decisions, my friend."

He shakes his head, and puts the kettle on to brew some tea. "But if she opts to let it lie, I'll give the ring back to you. It's clearly something you want to keep."

It's at that moment that Cor'lana walks in through the door, market basket full of snacks for Pothy. "I'm home!" she calls out. This time, it's definitely not a bluff from Pothy. She makes her way to the kitchen and smiles, setting down the basket. "Hi, honey. Hi Pothy." She goes to hug Telamon and then looks curiously at the ring. "What's that?" she asks.

Pothy looks between Telamon and Cor'lana for a moment before he simply just nods. "Keep it," he says, mimicking Cor'lana again... and he concerns himself, finally, with the business of eating the gumdrops that Telamon put out for him. Cor'lana's home. Snacks are home. He's happy.

Telamon hefts the gold ring in his hand, as Cor'lana approaches. He considers the question a moment, then says, "A memory. Let's get things put away, then we can sit down and discuss it." He kisses her cheek with a smile.

"Oh, and poor Pothy has just been pining away for you. Or the snacks. Hard to tell which." His grin is infectious, lighting up his face. Such is life in the Lúpecyll-Atlon home.